Baseline Survey of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Jordan & Lebanon (2019-2021)

Terms of Reference

 for

Baseline Survey of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Jordan & Lebanon (2019-2021)

May 15, 2019

1. About Plan International 

Background: Now entering its ninth year, the conflict in Syria continues to have a drastic impact on Syrian refugee children as well as Lebanese children living in host communities. Children continue to experience different forms of violence, abuse and exploitation in their communities. Increasing levels of poverty and lack of access to quality education among families have put an alarming number of girls and boys at risk of child labour and child marriage. Adolescents and youth have limited educational and economic opportunities and experience a sense of hopelessness and lack a future perspective. To address these risks and prevent the long-term harmful consequences on an entire generation of children, Plan International implements an integrated child protection, education and economic empowerment programme aimed to empower children and young people, in particular girls.

The Organisation: Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination. Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We place a specific focus on girls and young women, who are most often left behind. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for more than 80 years, and are now active in more than 70 countries.

Plan International Lebanon was established in late 2016 and has programmes throughout the country (Beirut, Mount-Lebanon, South, North and Bekaa). Plan International Jordan is established in 2016 and has programmes throughout the country (Amman, Jordan Valley, Karak, Jarash, Azraq camp, and Zarqa). Working in partnerships with local, national and international organisations, Plan aims to support the recovery and resilience of Lebanese and Jordanian host populations and Syrian refugees.

2. Project Background 

Funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), Plan International, in partnership with Namaa in Jordan and Himaya in Lebanon, is implementing a 3-year project scheduled to conclude in December 2020. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the efforts of Jordan and Lebanon in respecting art 32 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child. The action is designed by Plan International with two local partner organisations: Namaa (Jordan) and Himaya (Lebanon), and would be implemented and monitored by these three organisations. The Action focuses on Aljoufeh and Alkarameh in the Jordan Valley (Jordan) and Kaa in the Beqaa Valley (Lebanon) where Namaa and Himaya respectively are active and have strong local knowledge and relationships. The project will work towards achieving the following 4 outcomes:

1. Vulnerable targeted boys and girls have decreased vulnerability to WFCL in the agricultural sector after receiving age appropriate and gender sensitive child protection, non/in formal education and livelihood opportunities.
2. Targeted caregivers are willing and enabled to protect their children from WFCL after participating in Positive Parenting Programme and/or accessing livelihood alternatives.
3. Local Development Committees (LDC), Child Protection Committees, Schools counsellors and communities are better enabled to prevent and respond to WFCL.
4. The implementation of the National Action Plans (NAPs) against the WFCL of Jordan and Lebanon are supported to respond to the worst forms of child labour.

The above outcomes will be achieved through the following project outputs:

1. 1. Structured Play and Psychosocial Support (PSS) methodologies are delivered to vulnerable boys and girls aged 6-9 and 10-17.
   2. Plan’s Holistic Focused PSS -Life Skills Package is delivered to vulnerable boys and girls aged 10-17.
   3. Boys and girls have access to quality child protection case management services and/ or referrals to multi-sectoral support that meet their needs.
   4. Non-formal or informal Education Curriculum is delivered to vulnerable children, and eligible children are referred to formal education.
   5. Adolescents (16-17) are referred to or provided with relevant and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
   6. Caregivers are referred to or provided with alternative relevant and sustainable livelihoods.
   7. Caregivers are provided guidance on child protection risks, including child labour, through Plan’s Positive Parenting Programme.
   8. Local development committees (LDCs) partake in Plan’s Child Labour Prevention and Response Modules (Jordan only)
   9. Local community-based child protection committees are trained on Plan’s Child Labour Prevention and Response Modules.
   10. Community-based Child protection related initiatives on child labour in agriculture are carried out by child protection committees.
   11. School counsellors are trained to monitor and refer child labour cases and support at-risk children (Jordan only)
   12. Key government stakeholders at the sub-regional and local levels involved in the implementation of the Child Labour NAP are trained on Plan's Child Labour Prevention and Response Modules.
   13. Ongoing support to the National Committee on Child Labour (NCCL) in Jordan and the Child Labour Task Force (CLTF) in Lebanon is provided through active participation on these committees and fringe advocacy, in conjunction with ILO.
   14. Lessons and Evidence study on Forced Child Labour within the context of the Syria crisis is developed for Plan’s Inter-Agency Regional Workshop involving stakeholders from Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

3. Purpose of Baseline

The purpose of the study is: (1) To establish baseline value against the project indicators; (2) To create monitoring tools for the baseline that can be used by the project team to assess different batches of beneficiaries and can be replicated at end line; (3) To identify the children that will be directly benefiting from the project; and (4) To support the development of the selection criteria for beneficiaries participating in the project.

In doing so the consultant will also be required to: - Scan Child Protection and Labour Laws in Jordan and Lebanon; - Examine the power dynamics, relevant to the project, in the areas of implementation; - The strength/potentials and weaknesses/risks in Jordan and Lebanon and their potential impact on the project activities; - Investigate capacity gaps of rights-holders in claiming their rights, and of duty bearers in meeting their obligations.

Where relevant, the consultant will suggest adaptation of the project design and of the identified activities based on the findings of the study.

4. Users of the Baseline:

The primary users and audience of the baseline study will be Plan International, Namaa, and Himaya. The secondary audience of the baseline will be the donor, the European Commission, who will use the findings to strengthen their programmes; and potentially the local and international community at large.

5. Methodology & Scope

The study should use mixed method approach and benefit from the quantitative and qualitative approaches when answering the above lines on inquiries mentioned in section 3. Further to that, below are the 4 main principles that the study should be built on:

1. Inclusiveness—the methodology should include a wide range of viewpoints, specifically gender and age-sensitivity when applicable.
2. Mixed-method approaches—both qualitative and quantitative methods need to be present in the methodology.
3. Rigor of evidence—gathered information needs to be reliable and transparent
4. Ethics—the methodology needs to consider research ethics, and the vulnerability of the target population in order to insure that the evaluation is fully objective.

The sample size should be adequate and representative of the target groups. The study will draw on the following sources:

• Desk study review: It is important to review project documents, logical framework and other relevant online sources of data to complete the assessment.
• Key informant interviews: Interviews will be conducted to gather in depth information on key questions.
• Focus group discussions: To gather in depth information regarding the key purposes mentioned above.
• Community Surveys: Surveys should be distributed to members of the community including men, women, youth, children groups and others as appropriate, to collect numerical information related to the study’s main purposes.

The data collection is the responsibility of the consultant, however the project partners will help in facilitating the communication between them and project stakeholders.

6. Ethical and Child Safeguarding Statements

Plan International is committed to ensuring that the rights of those participating in data collection or analysis are respected and protected, in accordance with the Framework for Ethical MERL and our Global Policy on Safeguarding Children and Young People. All applicants should include details in their proposal on how they will ensure ethics and child safeguarding in the data collection process. Specifically, the consultant or film shall explain how appropriate, safe, non-discriminatory participation of all stakeholders will be ensured and how special attention will be paid to the needs of children and other vulnerable groups. The consultant or firm shall also explain how confidentiality and anonymity of participants will be guaranteed.

Additionally, all parties involved in the data collection will receive an induction on Plan International’s Child Safeguarding policy, referral pathways and Non-Staff Code of Conduct.

1.   Key Deliverables 

1. Within Ten days from signing the contract, the consultant should submit an Inception Report, which clearly defines the evaluation methodology, such as clear outlines for the focus group discussions, KII questions, survey questionnaires and research timeline with specific deadlines for each deliverable. The inception report should also clearly explain the sampling methodology and sample size for the quantitative survey and a clear and logical number for the FGDs and KIIs. The inception report including the data collection tools need formal approval from Plan before initiating the data collection phase.
2. A draft Baseline report to be submitted within 10 days of the completion of the data collection phase for review and comments from Plan country team in Jordan and Lebanon. The review and feedback of the report could be more than one round depending on the quality of the report and the extent to which the comments and suggestions from first round have been incorporated.
3. A final Baseline report to be submitted after incorporating the comments of Plan International. The report should be written in English, 25-30 pages excluding annexes, consisting of (each section should be disaggregated per country)

• Cover page, Plan will provide sample cover sheet for reference
• Table of contents, list of acronyms, abbreviations and list of tables and charts.
• Executive summary of key findings and recommendations – 3-4 pages.
• Background information and context analysis presented per key criteria with a brief description
• Baseline methodology with clear explanation of sampling and limitations, KIIs, participants’ selection and data analysis approach.
• Research findings, analysis, with associated data presented, where appropriate in clear graphs or charts. The findings can include subsections for each research criteria.
• Conclusion and Recommendations.
• The recommendations should be framed according to each section of project.
• Appendices should include raw and clean collected data, detailed description of the methodology with research instruments, list of interviewees and consent forms, tools, list of key documents.

The report should be submitted electronically in a MS – Word document. The consultant is responsible for English editing and proofreading of the final report which should be well formatted. The report will be credited to the evaluator and potentially placed in the public domain at the decision of Plan International.

All handwritten and electronic transcripts of interviews and KIIs, hard copies of survey questionnaires, photographs taken during the assessment and any equipment received from Plan for the purpose of the study should be submitted to Plan. Furthermore, all information generated during the baseline study will be the sole property of Plan and is subject to submission to Plan, along with the final report, prior to the end of the contract.

8. Timeline

• Recruitment process deadline: June 3, 2019
• Deadline for finalising the data collection tools: June 16, 2019
• Deadline for finalising data collection: July 14, 2019
• Deadline for the draft report: July 23, 2019
• Deadline for the final deliverables: July 31, 2019

9. Budget

The consultant should submit the total budget in the proposal with detail breakdown including applicable government taxes.

10. Expected Qualifications

The Consultant/Consulting firm (preferred to be a firm or a team of consultants) should have the following competencies and qualifications:

• Experience working in Jordan and Lebanon, preferably in the project’s target areas
• Demonstrated expertise in carrying out baseline studies
• Demonstrated experience of facilitating research with participatory methods and tools, particularly with children and young people
• Competency in managing, organizing and interpreting quantitative and qualitative data and information
• Capabilities to work in Arabic and English languages
• Experience working with vulnerable groups, including refugees and children

• Minimum Master’s Degree in social studies, International Development or any other related field
• Minimum 10 years’ experiences in undertaking baseline studies and evaluation in contexts similar to Jordan and Lebanon.
• Relevant experiences in the response to humanitarian crisis, preferably in the areas of education, protection, and livelihoods.
• 5 years’ experience in field level data collection and qualitative research in similar type of studies.
• Solid experience in the development of tools for baseline studies involving vulnerable populations.
• Good data analysis and analytical report writing skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Arabic and English.
• Ability to communicate effectively to a range of different stakeholders
• Availability to travel to Jordan and Lebanon and work in the project areas for the duration of the data collection.

Note that the consultant / consulting firm are required to identify, recruit, contract and train enumerators and data collectors in both countries. No support can be provided on this matter by Plan.

11. contact

Should you need further information, please contact [email protected]

Interested applicants should provide a proposal covering the following aspects:

• Detailed response to the TOR
• Proposed methodology
• Ethics and child safeguarding approaches, including any identified risks and associated mitigation strategies
• Proposed timelines
• CVs
• Example of previous work
• Detailed budget, including daily fee rates, expenses, etc.

Please send your proposal, as one PDF document with the above mentioned points, to Plan International Lebanon ([email protected]) by May 26, 2019 referencing “Baseline Survey of Worst Forms of Child Labour in Jordan & Lebanon”